Maya Lin: Thinking with her Hands

By Susan Goldman Rubin

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., is one of the mostfamous pieces of civic architecture in the world. But most people arenot as familiar with the reserved college student who entered and wonthe design competition to build it. This accessible biography tells thestory of Maya Lin, from her struggle to stick with her vision of thememorial to the wide variety of works she has created since then. Thecarefully researched text, paired with ample photos, crosses multipleinterests—American history, civic activism, art history, and culturaldiversity—and offers a timely celebration of the memorial's 35thanniversary as well as providing an important contribution to thecurrent discussion of the role of women and minorities in society.